Sign in

Kaspa Thompson

@kaspalita.bsky.social
394 followers 1.6K following 180 posts

Buddhist Minister, IFS Psychotherapist (www.kaspathompson.co.uk) writing at kaspa.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 17h
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
8985253666
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 09/10/2026
anyway yeah, I wrote an unhinged screed against the very concept of online recommendations: youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/against-re... [free to read!]
6537
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Ryan Estrada @ryanestrada.com · 09/10/2026
Why does Korea have a holiday for the alphabet? Because unlike other writing systems that evolved over centuries, Hangul was the work of one dude who solved mass illiteracy by sitting down and creating a brand new fully-formed system from scratch that anyone can learn almost instantly.
141080444
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Camellia Tea Ceremony @camelliakyoto.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
🙏BIG BUDDHA AMONGST THE COSMOS😇 Nara is one of the best places in Japan to see cosmos, and in recent years Hannya-ji (般若寺) has taken great efforts to make itself one of the best places in Nara to enjoy the flowers... ...that, and a very unusual soda🥤 #Japan #コスモス #奈良
Cosmos flowers bloom at Hannya-ji.Cosmos flowers bloom at Hannya-ji.A soda modeled on Nara's Great Buddha (with big candy floss hair).Cosmos flowers bloom at Hannya-ji.
15813
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
What's it like to return to your home town years after leaving? This poem from Whatever You Do, Just Don't finds that nothing's changed. But then everything's changed too...
1232158
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Great report. Mentions that 2019-2021 was when climate concerns polled highest in the UK - doesn't mention that these were the years when Extinction Rebellion and the Friday School Strike were most active...
031
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Ellie Mae O'Hagan @elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I want to talk about this story and removing levies from bills. As always I'm going to explain it all in layman's terms so people who are not energy nerds can understand what these debates about how to lower their energy bills actually mean www.theguardian.com/money/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Chancellor plans major intervention to help poorer UK households with rising energy bills
Exclusive: Officials working on further radical changes that would change how much energy companies could charge customers
64525
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Jim Rossignol @rossignol.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This gets said constantly, but it worth reiterating: Games Workshop being bigger than fishing is important to shout about because you wouldn't know it from government talking points, which are rarely about anything creative or artistic. Growth won't involve fish or steel, it will involve goblins.
502625645
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Gavin Jackson @gavinjackson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
How India saved its tigers—and lions and rhinos and elephants www.economist.com/asia/2026/10...
economist.com
How India saved its tigers—and lions and rhinos and elephants
India’s wildlife-conservation success holds lessons for other environmental efforts
1259
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
You guys want to hear a short but adorable story that happened right in front of me at the baggage claim in NYC yesterday? I wasn't part of it and there are bits I didn't catch but holy crap, I can't stop thinking about it.
5440621220
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 30/09/2026
I find photographing flowers very uplifting. When I was younger, doing creative work helped me cope. These days it feels much lighter. (I guess it worked?) Passiflora 'Susan Brigham' under UV light.
1246357
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy Wednesday to all who celebrate!
2583
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I haven’t read all of the books in @igmansfield.bsky.social’s list, but I have read enough of them to say confidently that this is a fantastic list of books to read and I am very much looking forward to completing the set:
edrith.co.uk
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And six short story collections
2812323
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Mags L Halliday @magslhalliday.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Every year on 19 December, the famous Christmas lights at Mousehole in Cornwall are dimmed between 8 and 9pm, leaving just the Cross and Angels shining down across the village and out to sea.
10830433
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This week I've been reading Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire trilogy (just started book three) and it is so good! Big recommend from me.
001
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I joined some of my coworkers in writing about what Annie Dillard's writing meant and means to us. Line for line and lesson for lesson I think she's absolutely as good as it gets. defector.com/annie-dillar...
defector.com
Annie Dillard Gave It All | Defector
Following this week’s news that the brilliant writer Annie Dillard has died at age 81, some Defector staffers wrote about what her work and example have meant to them. Much is made of Dillard’s genius...
212718
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Great chat with Ananda about what he learnt from 15 years running a charity helping people. humannaturebuddhanature.com
010
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I would love to ask a prominent BBC journalist to give me an example of an illegitimate concern. Is seems to me that it has become a question not of fact, logic, or ethics but of volume. If a big enough proportion of a village was anxious about Bigfoot or Chemtrails, BBC would cover it in a way...
791708565
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
RIP Annie Dillard a great writer.
041
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Cantabrian brown bears have clawed their way back from the edge of extinction in northern Spain, and nature tourism keeps villagers in jobs where farming culture cannot. Rewilding hugely benefits rural life and economies. www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/...
theguardian.com
‘So big and so close’: spotting endangered bears on a trip to northern Spain
Conservationists have helped Cantabrian brown bears claw their way back from the edge of extinction in the beautiful mountains of Asturias – and carefully controlled nature tourism allows visitors to ...
624569
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I have to say all the Star Trek talk on all the platforms brings me great joy.
021
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Happy birthday!
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The RNLI have some of the best people in Britain volunteering for them. They put their lives on the line when they are called on and they will rescue anyone who needs them. Because every life matters, and offering help is the right thing to do. You can donate here: rnli.org
rnli.org
RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Saving Lives at Sea
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We do this through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and international interventions.
161168607
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I wouldn't believe it unless I'd seen it with my own eyes.
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Litbowl @litbowl.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"You know the way Jesus rips open his shirt to show us his heart, all flaming & thorny..." Haven't stopped thinking about some of these lines since I read them 15 years ago, pretty much. From Nick Flynn's book, Some Ether: bookshop.org/a/862/9781555973032 #poem #booksky #writing
1194
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The government must know full well that many people have neither the space nor the money to store extra food in their homes. It is individuating responsibility for a collective problem. As usual, it is the poorest and most excluded who will suffer from it. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Minister tells Brits to stock up on days of supplies after ‘supersize’ El Niño warning
Exclusive: Angela Eagle urges UK citizens to be ‘a bit more resilient’ as they plan for national emergencies
1032071793
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I read this as, I can't believe they decided Earth isn't a piano anymore
110
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Episode three of Human Nautre/Buddha Nature is now available! humannaturebuddhanature.com/podcast/epis...
humannaturebuddhanature.com
Episode Three: Beginnings – a Conversation with Satya Robyn; Dolly Parton and Personal Buddhas – Human Nature/Buddha Nature
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Ilya Kaminsky @ilyakaminsky.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Grateful to Maya C. Popa and Poem-A-Day for publishing this translation Katie Farris and I did of a piece by Lyudmyla Khersonsky, a wonderful poet from Odesa, Ukraine. I met Lyudmyla back in 1993 when I was still a sixteen year old in Odesa. She taught me English alphabet.
14813
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
The Verge @theverge.com · 02/09/2026
As a new Harry Potter trailer makes the rounds, it bears repeating that there’s no way to watch this show without supporting J.K. Rowling’s bigotry and the structural violence she’s inflicting on the trans community.
theverge.com
There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series
You can’t without supporting Rowling’s transphobic bigotry.
367201339890
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Anna Horroridge @anna-orridge.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Thank you, Louis
September has come, it is hers Whose vitality leaps in the autumn, Whose nature prefers Trees without leaves and a fire in the fireplace... Who has left a scent on my life, and left my walls Dancing over and over with her shadow -Whose hair is twined in all my waterfalls And all of London littered with remembered kisses.
2136
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Lætus @bajamothblast.vanadiel.network · 01/09/2026
Happy Bisexuality Visibility Month
51012458
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
It's now extremely hard for Irish people to conceive what a wild tree even looks like, with mostly only domesticated, tamed versions remaining. This rainforest holly gives an idea. Rewilding is how we allow not only wild trees back, but the entire ecosystems of which they're meant to be a part.
492385345
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Camellia Tea Ceremony @camelliakyoto.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🙏THE MONEY SHRINE💸 For those of you worrying about money (understandable given the constant creeping inflation), there's a shrine in Kyōto that promises some divine help... ...Mikane-jinja (御金神社), the 'Money Shrine'. On certain days of the month you will need to queue to get close! #Kyoto #Japan
The distinctive gold gate (torii) of Mikane-jinja.Nao-san frolics amongst golden ginkgo leaves.Mikane-jinja's main hall.Mikane-jinja's votive tablets and omamori charms are in the shape of ginkgo leaves (considered lucky as the leaves turn bright gold in autumn).
14312
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Bex Luther @superbreeze.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Poland and Lalaland implies the further existence of Dipsyland and Tinkywinkyland
832582
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Episode Two of my new podcast is now live: Why do we ring the singing bowl at the start of practice, what has that got to do with hungry ghosts? What are hungry ghosts? etc. humannaturebuddhanature.com/podcast/epis...
humannaturebuddhanature.com
Episode Two: Ringing the Singing Bowl, Hungry Ghosts, Small Miracles and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Human Nature/Buddha Nature
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 19/08/2026
wrote about that ADHD documentary, my own life as someone apparently living the perfect life of the unmedicated ADHD poster child, and why no amount of "oh but the system should change, not the people" doesn't work: www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
3348784
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt @nadinebh.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Here’s some photos of my dog during the eclipse
61056
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"the extreme summer temperatures expose a serious policy gap."
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 14/08/2026
No one wants this! Westminster has redicalosed itself against net zero targets. The public has not! These policies are popular, not least because the public only has to look out the window to see the need for climate action.
34464114
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
1/ Is this headline misleading? Yes, but not in the direction you'd expect. The problem isn't that it exaggerates. It's that it puts in 2100 what has already started. 🧵
9316121
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
If @andyburnham.bsky.social were Prime Minister during the Blitz: "There is an urgent problem of bombs falling on London. They appear to be coming out of the sky. We convened a COBRA meeting to discuss it. The root causes of this problem are not something I am prepared to discuss." #ClimateEmergency
631168364
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Congratulations to E.J. Swift for winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award for When There Are Wolves Again!!
reactormag.com
E.J. Swift Wins the Arthur C. Clarke Award for When There Are Wolves Again - Reactor
The award celebrates its 40th anniversary this year
0515
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 13/08/2026
Temperatures have now provisionally exceeded 37°C 🌡️ Before 2026, the UK had recorded 37°C or higher on only six occasions. This year alone, we've already reached that mark three times.
A table of top temperatures so far. The highest currently at 37.6°C at Charlwood.
10258194
Kaspa Thompson @kaspalita.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
"Acceptance means allowing what is real to be real. It means not excluding things from your awareness. ‘Acceptance’ is shorthand for ‘accepting what is true is true’. If we accept that whatever is true, is true, then we can be recognised as a Buddha."
substack.com
How to be a Buddha: Acceptance of Everything, Including the Climate Crisis
“… if you actually accepted everything, you would be a recognized Buddha.”
000
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Good luck to everyone getting their A levels today and remember, if you don’t get the grades you’d hoped for, all is not lost. For example, Prince Edward got a C and 2 Ds and was immediately accepted by Cambridge University.
251528279
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
C Z A R I N A @czarinaofficial.com · 12/08/2026
Total Solar Eclipse, 2026 From Costa da Morte, Galicia 🇪🇸 With perfectly timed seagulls adding to the drama
Total Solar Eclipse, 2026 
From Costa da Morte, Galicia 

With perfectly timed seagulls adding to the drama
917835
Reposted by Kaspa Thompson
Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Here's an ace poem by Matt Merritt. It might seem a bit of fun at first, but it packs a real punch...
Comeback

And to finish I'll double
- no, treble - the black.
Corner pocket, after getting
just enough screwback
on the final red.

This one's for all the times
we played for safety
when we could have played
for so much more.

For all the times we worried
about keeping
one foot on the floor.

Matt Merritt
1476